Chicago right-handed pitcher Dylan Covey says he is healthy and ready to get back to work when the White Sox head to Texas to begin a three-game series on Friday against the Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

Covey has been the White Sox’s steadiest starter this season and was protecting a 5-2 lead in the fourth against Oakland, his former team, June 23 when he felt some soreness in his hip and groin areas while he was coming off the mound and was removed from the game.

“I don’t know exactly what it was,” Covey said. “We didn’t get any tests done but all the manual tests they did said my strength is good. Just probably like a cramp or something like that that was lingering a little bit. I was feeling it on the mound, so definitely thinking about it.”

Covey was sidelined from May 26-Aug. 15 last season with a strained left oblique. He’s been a pleasant surprise for the White Sox this year, having drastically cut down his home run rate.

“Everything felt great — unless something weird happens, I’ll be good to go,” Covey said of his bullpen session on Tuesday. “That’s the plan. It didn’t really hurt. It was kind of a precautionary thing, I think.”

Covey is 0-0 with a 20.25 ERA in two relief appearances against the Rangers.

Gallardo will make his fifth appearance and third start of the season on Friday. It will be his third start with the Rangers Authentic Preston Brown Jersey , with whom he’s allowed nine earned runs over 10 1/3 innings in his initial two starts.

Gallardo is slated to be working on extended five-days’ rest. He picked up the win in his last start, a 9-6 Rangers victory on Saturday in Minneapolis. Gallardo is 1-1 with a 4.79 ERA over four career starts versus the White Sox.

The White Sox had a delayed arrival into Texas after a 2-1 loss to Minnesota in 13 innings on Thursday.

Texas enjoyed an off day on Thursday after a 5-2 win over San Diego that gave the Rangers their fourth straight series win.

Texas got a sterling performance by left-hander Mike Minor, who retired the first 19 Padres’ batters before a single from Eric Hosmer with one out in the seventh. He retired 21 of the 22 batters he faced over seven innings.

The Rangers inked Minor to a three-year contract in the offseason. He was a starter with the Braves in 2010-14 before missing all of 2015-16 because of a torn labrum in his left shoulder and is starting to prove that the Rangers made the right move despite a slow start to the season.

I feel better, yeah,” Minor said after Wednesday’s game. “I feel a little bit more consistent with my delivery, repeating things. It’s more about what I think. I think I can do it.

“Early on, I still had the confidence. I just knew that I was a little bit off with my mechanics and everything, but I knew I had the stuff to get through a lineup three times, four times, whatever it is Authentic Chad Thomas Jersey , and to go deep in ballgames.”

Texas is 9-3 over its past 12 games after losing six in a row.

Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo was hit by a pitch in his first plate appearance during Wednesday win over the Padres, extending his on-base streak to 40 straight games.

That ties for the longest such streak in the Majors this season. Odubel Herrera of the Phillies reached base in 40 straight from March 30-May 19.

The Rangers dropped three of four games on May 17-20 on Chicago’s South Side in the first series between the two teams this season.

Wade LeBlanc is a journeyman. His 10-year career has featured stops with seven different organizations and even one in Japan, where he thought he was finished.

In the left-hander’s second stint with Seattle, it appears he’s finally found a home.

LeBlanc (4-0) allowed one run over seven innings after inking a contract extension with the Mariners earlier in the day, and Seattle beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-1 on Tuesday night for its eighth straight victory.

The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani was activated from the 10-day disabled list and went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his return. He had been sidelined since June 8 with a Grade 2 ulnar collateral ligament sprain.

“I think it was huge that I got all those at-bats in the simulated games,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. ”It’s a different game up here in the big leagues. Maybe still not quite there yet, but just keep on working hard, come back tomorrow.”

The Mariners announced they signed LeBlanc (4-0) to the extension before his start and the soft-tossing left-hander showed them they made a good decision. LeBlanc allowed three hits, struck out four and retired his final 11 batters.

”It’s huge,” LeBlanc said. ”It’s life-changing money Youth Tyquan Lewis Jersey , obviously, but for me, I’ve never been the kind of guy to know where my family and I are going to be the next year this early.”

LeBlanc’s contract reportedly extends him through the 2019 season, with a base salary of $2.75 million and incentives that could raise that to $4.75 next season, and contains club options valued at $5 million with a $450,000 buyout the three following seasons.

It rewards LeBlanc after he’s provided an unexpected source of stability to the Mariners’ rotation. Seattle is 9-3 in games he’s started and he boasts a 2.90 ERA since moving to the rotation on May 3.

”It’s good to feel wanted,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. ”I know Wade’s been everywhere in his career, but we’re definitely seeing the best of Wade LeBlanc right now. I’m looking forward to having him in the future. He’s done an unbelievable job for us.

”The best part about these deals with a guy like that that’s bounced around, is that he’s earned it. And that’s really what makes you feel good and allows you to sleep at night.”

LeBlanc was signed by the Mariners in spring training after he requested his release from the Yankees, who signed him to a minor league contract.

Alex Colome picked LeBlanc up by stranding Kole Calhoun after his one-out double in the eighth and Edwin Diaz earned his American League-leading 33rd save with a clean ninth inning.

Kyle Seager was 2 for 4 and drove in a pair of runs with a bases-loaded double in the first. Nelson Cruz provided insurance with a solo homer in the eighth.

Andrew Heaney (4-6) tied a career high with 10 strikeouts Youth Dante Pettis Jersey , but was tagged with three runs in the first inning to fall behind and was handed the loss.

“Andrew was terrific tonight,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ”The walks were probably the one negative for him in the first inning.

”He pitched a great game, gave us a chance to win. We just couldn’t get any kind of pressure offensively.”

Andrelton Simmons’ homer in the fourth was all the Angels could muster offensively.

300 CLUB

Mariners second baseman Dee Gordon stole third base in the eighth inning to put him at 300 career stolen bases.

TRAINER’S ROOM

ANGELS: Angels outfielder Chris Young exited in the first inning with a left hamstring strain, the club announced. Young stumbled to the ground while fielding Seager’s double to right field and fell to the ground in noticeable pain, staying there until leaving the game with trainers.

MARINERS: Servais said Erasmo Ramirez’s bullpen on Sunday went well and the right-hander will move on with his throwing program.

UP NEXT

ANGELS: RHP Garrett Richards (4-4) will be activated from the 10-day disabled list and start against the Mariners on Wednesday. He’s been out since June 14 with a left hamstring sprain.

MARINERS: RHP Mike Leake (8-4) will make his 18th start of the season and third against the Angels on Wednesday. The 30-year-old has lasted seven-plus innings seven times this season and boasted a 2.57 ERA in June._________________hong wei wei